Elefanteatro: the walking performance of pygmalion moving sculpture

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5965/2595034701312025129

Keywords:

Theater; Animated Forms Theater; Giant Puppet;Pigmalião Moving Sculpture; Elefanteatro.

Abstract

The article describes the creative process behind Elefanteatro, a street parade featuring a giant puppet that narrates the saga of a migrant family in search of a better life. Themes of immigration and sustainability are embedded in the diegesis of the performance, led by puppet theater group Pigmalião Escultura que Mexe in musical collaboration with Grupo Oriundo de Teatro. Engaging with concepts akin to “bare life” and “precarious life”, as proposed by Giorgio Agamben and Judith Butler, respectively, the work aligns with the political commitment of artistic representation to activate new perceptions and provoke ruptures in times marked by cruelty and intolerance.

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Author Biographies

Eduardo Felix de Miranda Leite, Federal University of Minas Gerais

Theatrical sculptor (puppeteer, sculptor, painter, set designer, director, playwright, actor-puppeteer, costume designer, and soundtrack composer). Eduardo holds a degree in Sculpture from the School of Fine Arts at UFMG and has worked professionally in theater since 2001. He is the founder and artistic director of Pigmalião Escultura que Mexe, where he develops his research and teaches his practices. He has taught workshops and participated in artistic residencies in various countries and several Brazilian cities.
He wrote and directed the following plays: O Presente (2007); Mendigo Marrom (2008); Seu Geraldo, voz e violão (2009); Bira e Bedé (2009); A Filosofia na Alcova (2011), an adaptation of Marquis de Sade; O Quadro de Todos Juntos (2014); Mordaz (2015); Macunaïma Gourmet (2017); Brasil (2018); Fábulas Antropofágicas para Dias Fascistas (2023); and Elefanteatro (2023).
Drawing and watercolor form the foundation of all his creations.

Mariliz Regina Schrickte, Santa Catarina State University

PhD candidate in the Graduate Program in Theater at UDESC (DS Capes Scholarship), holds a Master’s degree in Theater from the University of Évora, a Bachelor's degree in Theater from UNB, and a Bachelor's in Design from UFSC. She also holds a postgraduate degree in Art Education from Senac/SP and is a trained actress from Teatro Universitário at UFMG. Since 2009, she has been part of the group Pigmalião Escultura que Mexe as an actress, puppeteer, marionettist, researcher, and workshop facilitator.

References

AGAMBEN, Giorgio, 1942-.Estado de exceção; tradução de Iraci D. Poleti. São. Paulo: Boitempo, 2004.

____________________. Homo sacer: o poder soberano e a vida nua I. Tradução Henrique Burigo. Belo Horizonte: Editora UFMG, 2010.

BUTLER, Judith. Vida precária. Contemporânea – Revista de Sociologia da UFSCar. São Carlos, Departamento e Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sociologia da UFSCar, 2011, n.1, p.13 -33.

_____________. Vida precária: os poderes do luto e da violência. Trad. Andreas Lieber. Belo Horizonte: Autêntica, 2019. 189 pp.

FELIX, Eduardo. Elefanteatro. Dramaturgia do espetáculo do grupo Pigmalião Escultura que Mexe. Belo Horizonte, 2023.

FELIX, Eduardo; SANTANA, Tatá. Elefanteatro. Trilha sonora do espetáculo do grupo Pigmalião Escultura que Mexe. Belo Horizonte, 2023.

LEHMANN, H. Teatro Pós-Dramático. São Paulo: Cosac Naify, 1999.

RANCIÈRE, Jacques. A Partilha do Sensível: estética e política. São Paulo: Ed. 34, 2005.

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Published

2025-06-11

How to Cite

LEITE, Eduardo Felix de Miranda; SCHRICKTE, Mariliz Regina. Elefanteatro: the walking performance of pygmalion moving sculpture. Móin-Móin Magazine - Studies in the Art of Puppetry, Florianópolis, v. 1, n. 31, p. 129–139, 2025. DOI: 10.5965/2595034701312025129. Disponível em: https://revistas.udesc.br/index.php/moin/article/view/27107. Acesso em: 22 jun. 2025.

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 31 (2025): Migrações: diálogos interculturais

Section

Dossiê Temático

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